If someone is looking for just an ebook reader the Kindle Fire may work for them well. Amazon typically has the better prices on ebooks than does Barnes and Noble, due to Amazons publishing policies that try to make the price be lowest at Amazon (or cut what the author/publisher earns from sales). Also, discount coupons and such work on any purchase with Amazon, including Kindle purchases, Barnes and Noble would do better if their Membership covered discounts on Nook purchases, as it is, many books are often higher for Nook than the print version. However, if someone is looking for a very portable mobile computing platform going with a pure Android tablet, such one in the Asus Transformer line, is the only way to go. For an extra $150+ you can have the best of both worlds by having Nook, Kindle, and even Google Books on your reader as well as having full access to all the mobile/tablet software out on Google Marketplace that your tablet will support, even Netflix. Have one of the second generation "ink" screen Kindles, and it is great for reading in any light, but for functionality, my Asus Transformer TF101-A1 can't be beat (except maybe by the TF101-B1 that has a bigger flash hard drive).

Amazon today said that the Kindle will be available through a variety of retail outlets: Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Staples, Sam's Club, RadioShack, and Office Depot, among others. If these stores actually bother to train their salespeople in Kindle lore, then Barnes & Noble's store advantage disappears.

It's worth mentioning, for sure, but I think TSAXTON554's complaint may have been more that these were ostensibly 5 comparison point between the Nook and the Fire, yet that particular point doesn't compare the Nook and the Fire separately (apart from the Silk mention), but rather the iPad and the Nook/Fire.

I'm picking nits, but what else are comments for, hehe? The truth of the matter is that, right now, these tablets are always going to lose in the software department, because no one really knows yet what advantages/disadvantages the software will have (with the exception of their proprietary nature).

While potential buyers of the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet may not be in the market for a significantly more expensive iPad, I felt the difference in software was worth bearing in mind. The Kindle and Nook are ostensibly Android tablets but both Amazon and Barnes & Noble add hurdles to the development process that makes them something less of an Android tablet than, say a Samsung Galaxy Tab. For users mainly interested in these devices as e-readers, this is less of an issue.

I'm going to quibble about the support advantage going to B&N. In my experience, B&N's in-store Nook support is ill-equipped to handle anything more complicated than "How do I turn this thing on?". As a frequent fixture in my two favorite B&N stores, I've had several occasions to witness the staff's under-informed and in some cases mis-informed attempts to support their product. After using my Nook Touch for a day, I was more knowledgable than B&N staff, probably because they had only ever used the store's display models.

On the other hand, Amazon's dedicated Kindle support team has never failed to please me. I think the main difference lies in product training, but the corporate culture element cannot be discounted.

Although I'm not excited by either device, I'm surprised that Kindle Fire's cloud integration was not mentioned here. Amazon seems to envision that Fire users will stream most of their media content, thus requiring less on-board storage. I find it potentially interesting, but I'm not sold on the concept.

Yeah, I had to wonder if the size difference would possibly be more of an issue for long-term holding, since the Nook's weight will be distributed out further. Makes me wonder if the Kindle could be more comfortable (despite the weight "disadvantage") because it's a little more compact. May just be too minor to make any difference, though.

Just remember that Amazon and B&N will have full control over apps that are available on their (unmodified) tablets. So, for example, there's no way in hell you'll be able to get Nook for your Kindle or Amazon Books for your Nook Tablet. That's the biggest thing that differentiates these from current Android tablets --- and what is making me hold off on making any decisions. Who knows what else you won't be able to access? For example, would it really be in Amazon's best interest to give you an eBay app for the Fire? Not that I think Amazon and B&N don't have a right to do that (if I were Amazon, I'd want to make as much money on my own services as I can), but it most certainly will impact my buying decision.

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